Hunter's Secret

Hunter’s POV

River has partial control now and he is forcing me to hold Cameron against the wall by his neck. My canines are elongated, I am sure my eyes are yellow, and my fingers have partially turned into claws. Cameron is struggling under my grip and my claws slightly pierce his skin, causing some of his blood to fall on my fingers. His eyes are full of fear, and he starts trying to get through to me.

“Hunter, it’s me. Cameron. Your best friend since we were little. Please come back. It’s me. You have known me your whole life. Remember, I have your back. Always,” Cameron pleaded, knowing that his strength would not be enough to protect him from River’s rage.

I hear Emma call up the stairs, “Cam, what is going on up there?”

River is pushing me farther back and my grip tightens on Cameron’s neck, cutting off his oxygen. When Cameron didn’t reply, a worried Emma ran up the stairs.

“Hunter! Leave him alone! Stop!” Emma shrieks which thankfully breaks River’s attention long enough for me to take back control. I quickly drop Cameron and he slides to the floor holding his neck. Emma runs over to him and cradles him while Cameron coughs and tries to get his breath back.

I am horrified by what just happened and I feel like I have no energy left. I back up from him and sink into the chair across the room. I mind-link Cameron because I just don’t have enough strength to form words right now.

‘Locks, I am so sorry. He has never been that hard to get back down before. I don’t know what happened. It’s like I had no control anymore. I am so sorry.’

‘Hunter, I knew it wasn’t you. It’s okay. It will take more than a little chokehold to get rid of me,’ he says, flashing me a smile and I hang my head in shame.

‘I am sorry. I think it is time for me to see Ash again. I need help. I don’t want to hurt you or anyone else I care about.’

‘H, it wasn’t you. But yeah, let’s not do that again.’

Having caught his breath, Cameron sat up and leaned against the wall. Emma, now sure that Cameron would be okay, stands and faces me. I could feel her anger and I slowly lifted my eyes to meet hers.

“What the heck is wrong with you!?! You almost killed him! If you weren’t my Alpha, I would fight you right here right now,” she says, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

“Babe, babe. Calm down. I am okay. As much as I would like to see you fight Hunter, it isn’t necessary. I am okay now. I promise.” Cameron says as he staggers to his feet and slides his arm around her waist.

“Emma I am sorry you had to see that but if you didn’t come up here, I honestly don’t know if I would have been to stop River this time,” I guiltily admit.

“This time!?! This has happened before!?!” Emma screamed before turned to glare at Cameron, “Is that why you came home with all those bruises a few days ago?”

Cameron glanced at me, and I nodded in shame.

She continues, “I can’t believe you two!”

Shooting Cameron one last glare that said, ‘we will talk about this later,’ she left the room. I moved over to Cameron and wrapped him in a hug.

‘I am so sorry. I almost killed you. I made you bleed!’

‘I know. I am okay though,’ he says, still holding me in a hug.

‘For now. But what if it happens again?’

‘It won’t because we are going to go see Ash right now.’

Without wasting another second, we ran as fast as we could without shifting to Titus’ house. I didn’t want to give River another chance to do something stupid and reckless. We arrived at the house and quickly barged in without knocking.

“Ash, I need your help. Right now. River is out of control now that I have found my mate. I almost killed Cameron a little bit ago and I feel like I am on the brink of a total shift and….” I blurt out as soon as I see her. I know my unexpected presence has shocked both her and Titus.

“Hold on. You found your mate? That is great news! Once River marks her, you both should be fine and the….” Ash says, with a big smile.

Quickly interrupting Ash, Cameron says, “That is the problem, Ash. H’s mate is currently…not available. It will be a while before Hunter can see her again, but I don’t know if River can wait that long.”

“Ah I see. Hunter needs something to keep River at bay until his mate accepts him?” Ash said, raising a quizzical eyebrow at me and I nodded in response.

“Hunter, you know what you are asking me to do right? You are asking me to spell River again? There can be severe risks and consequences. I only did it last time because it was absolutely necessary. That was only a few weeks ago though. I don’t know what will happen if I do it again so soon.”

“Yes, I know what I am asking you to do. I definitely know River will be angry later. I also know that not doing anything will only result in something bad happening. I just can’t think of anything else that will allow me to protect the people I love,” I desperately plead with her.

“Why is your mate unavailable to you right now?” Ash inquires, with a serious tone.

“It’s a complicated situation,” I admit, trying to hope she will just take my word for it, but she does not.

“I will not help you unless I know why you are asking me to do this. Magic is not something to be messed with,” she explains.

“It’s complicated because…” I pause and internally groan as I say the next part, “…Raine is my mate.”

“Raine!?! Like my daughter, Raine!?!” Titus asked, his voice getting louder with every syllable.

I avert my eyes and nod my head, “That is why I passed out a few days ago. The information was too much for me to handle. And if I am being completely honest, I am pretty sure her presence is the only reason why I was able to wake up when I was unconscious after the seizures. I didn’t know she was my mate then, but I am sure she is now.”

“But she is a human!” he says, running a stressed hand through his hair. Ash is just standing there with her mouth agape.

“I know she is. I didn’t know it was possible, but I am positive she is my mate. River has been begging me to just go get her and force her to come back but I can’t do that to her. She deserves to be able to have the kind of life she wants to have,” I pause and take a deep breath, “But River took control against my will today and he almost killed Cameron. I don’t know how much longer he will be able to wait. I just found out she was my mate when I was at your house a few days ago and he is already fighting for complete control. I don’t know what to do and I am sorry for not telling you when I found out.”

“Alpha, you don’t have to apologize for not telling us. I appreciate your desire to allow Raine to have her freedom, but I can’t even imagine how painful this is for you. When I had my mate, it physically hurt when I was not near her, and we marked each other within twenty-four hours of finding each other. I can’t even imagine how you are feeling right now,” Titus says, concern in his voice and on his face.

“I am in complete agony most of the time and fighting with River constantly has left me completely exhausted, but I don’t want to scare her. I know she doesn’t understand how this feels. I just don’t know what to do. I obviously want to be with her, but I don’t want to force her to be with me. She didn’t ask for this,” my voice cracking a little as I sit down at their table.

Cameron stands behind me and places a supportive hand on my shoulder. Ash and Titus sit down across from me, and they quickly look at each other before Titus looks at me.

“Alpha, I would be honored to have you as a son-in-law. You are a good man. You have already proven to me that you will take good care of her. I will give you her address. Go to her. Just talk to her. She will at least listen to what you have to say, she is a very reasonable person,” he smiles.

“Are you sure? What if River takes control again? I could barely get him back down today and that was at least here. I can’t just shift in the middle of a human city. River will certainly kill someone,” I nervously ramble.

“We wouldn’t give you our blessing if we thought you didn’t deserve it. I will give you something to keep River at bay but not so much so that you won’t be able to feel the mate bond. It will just be enough to prevent you from shifting,” Ash confidently tells me.

“How will you do that?” Cameron inquires, squeezing my shoulder in support.

“It will hurt you and you might faint again. It is a small injection of silver. And then I will give you a pure silver chain to wear. You can put it on your ankle, so the burning is not visible to others. This is going to be painful, Hunter. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes. If you are sure it won’t kill me or permanently prevent me from shifting,”

“It won’t kill you. And the effects should be temporary. This is going to be incredibly painful though,” she says with seriousness.

“It can’t be more painful than what I am already feeling. When can we do it?” I quickly ask.

“You need rest first. I can get everything prepared tonight. I can meet you at your house in the morning. I will bring Titus with me too.”

“That sounds good. Ash, thank you for being willing to help me. Titus, thank you for allowing me to go see your daughter.”

They both smile and Titus stands up and extends his out to me. I move around the table and shake his hand. He offers me another smile and I thank them both again before Cameron and I head back to the house. I keep the connection to River cut off, but I can feel him angrily and impatiently pacing.

We open the door to find a very angry Emma standing in the kitchen with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. I give Cameron a small pat on the back and run up the stairs, to give them privacy but the distance is not enough to keep me from hearing Emma lay into Cameron about keeping things from her. I tuned them out and decided to take a shower to help calm myself down enough to try to sleep tonight. I called my parents to ask them to come to be with me in the morning. I tell them everything that has happened recently and I am trying to keep my anxiety under control.

The morning comes too soon and my parents, Cameron and Emma, plus Titus and Ash are all piled into my bedroom. I lay down on my bed as Ash again tells me what to expect. I try to steady my breathing and my mom comes over to hold my hand. I feel the needle go into my arm and I brace myself for the pain. The liquid burns a little going into my veins, but it doesn’t actually hurt. I let out the breath I was holding and when I go to inhale again, the pain hits me like a ton of bricks. I gasp for air as my muscles all tense and clench up. My heart is pounding, and my vision is starting to get blurry. Everything feels like it is on fire, and I think I start screaming but I don’t actually know because a few seconds later, darkness consumes all my senses.

I come to a few hours later and only Ash is left in my room. I take a deep breath and my body feels like a giant bruise. Even my bones hurt.

“Hunter? How are you feeling? I am sorry for hurting you.”

“I am okay. And don’t apologize. I asked you to do this,” I respond, slowly pushing myself into a sitting position.

“Still. Also, this is for you.”

She handed me a case that contained the silver chain, a piece of paper with both Raine’s address and her phone number, and a prepaid plane ticket for tomorrow morning.

She gives me a quick hug and leaves. Cameron comes up a few minutes later and also asks me how I am feeling. I don’t really have to answer his question because I am sure he can tell that I don’t feel good. He helps me pack a travel bag before telling me to come down to get something to eat. I eat dinner with him and Emma and then head back up to my room. I am so tired, and River is surprisingly quiet, so I am able to actually fall asleep.

Morning comes too early again and this time I am nervous for a different reason. I am going to see Raine today. I am going to see my mate today. I say goodbye to everyone and head toward the airport.

I make it through security easily and head to the bathroom. I get into a stall and slip on a pair of gloves so I can put the chain on my ankle without burning my fingers. I fasten it to my ankle and wince in pain as it touches my bare skin. I take a few deep breaths and pull the leg of my pants back down, covering the now burnt circle around my ankle. Thankfully, River can still help me numb the pain some and he does willingly.

I make my way out to the terminal, and I don’t think I have ever been around this many human people before. I lose count of how many people openly stare at me. I feel so out of place. I have never wished to be shorter, but I am wishing that right now. I know I am tall, but I am basically towering over everyone here, and their stares are making me very uncomfortable.

I boarded the plane and quickly realized that plane seats are not made for wolves. I am crammed into a seat that is too small and I have no leg room. To top it off, I am sitting next to a woman who is practically drooling over me and that also makes me uncomfortable. She is openly checking me out and I would really prefer for her to look anywhere else.

The pilot announces our takeoff and destination and I start silently counting down the minutes until I can get out of this plane. We hit some turbulence and the woman next to me, dramatically grabs my hand in fake fear. Her touch makes my skin crawl and I rip my hand out from hers. She looks at me with confusion and that quickly is replaced with a glare. Sure, she is probably considered beautiful, but I can’t think about anyone else other than Raine right now.